Timesnip is a Cat Rambo novelette, I believe (30-ish kindle pages) published in 2015 and set in her Twicefar Station universe, which I had not encountered before.
Things it did well:
Introduced an interesting "novum" or concept (time snipping people)
Created a strong-willed, formidable yet slightly naive character, sometimes thwarted by her hosts and aides.
Created a society and characters within in it to foil and aid her who felt realistic, not cardboard villains or sops.
Was very tight (although too tight, I think).
Created an effective world and a fast way to communicate some basic details about it (briefing about the planet on the trip; overview from the assignment).
Things I could learn from what it did well:
Give all characters not just one goal but a primary objective with clear stakes, a secondary, personal goal/s dictated by whims and circumstances
In a political story, leave motivations unclear, behavior straightforward and the protagonist's filter on TIGHT so a cold reader can't tell if characters are betraying her or not, because the protag doesn't know.
Also, consider giving the protag a blind spot based on her whims and secondary motivations -- that was very effective here.
Weaknesses I could learn from:
Did not exploit the possible ideas/conflicts/consequences of that novum except as a daydream device for the readers (who get to imagine the world that will result from the characters' choices). That was mildly disappointing: if you introduce a cool idea, explore it's consequences a bit.
Also, I got a very weak sense of the larger universe. The issues involved in the protagonist's reason for being on the planet, and her end choice, weren't fleshed out enough for me to get a handle on how grave her final decision was for her, personally. (Keep the stakes clear). It pointed to a hopeful resolution of the dystopia depicted, but I didn't understand how it played into the larger universe or if it would have consequences for her (or the peoples involved).
It felt fairly morality-play, but then given it was written during the period Gamergate was heating up, the clarity of the gender politics choice would not have been lost on readers that year. (if you're doing an allegory for current political life, flesh it out enough that it will stand the test of time -- or be comfortable knowing it's a product of its time. i.e., know your anger might have you missing some of the finer points, and be okay with that.)
City-as-planet syndrome: I have this problem big time, but she was only visiting one city on the planet, so it wasn't a huge deal for her work. She didn't HAVE to travel to different places or experience different climes.
